17 Responses to NIGERIA POLICE AIR WING RECEIVE TWO NEW BELL 412EP HELICOPTERS

According to that blog, there seems to be quite a few crated choppers not being utilised.
The consensus is that there are too few pilots in the NPF.

Would like to know what extras they got onboard rather than as a bland civilian version.Upgrade options could be thermal image sensor, 360 degreevideo camera,tactical radios,Nitesun,harness and few other features.

Similar to the Agusta AW139 of the NAF and the MGC which also carries 15 passengers. The 16-seater Puma also belongs to this category (not to be confused with the 24-seater Super Puma which dominate the NAF fleet of Eurocopter choppers)

Commissioning the Police hangar at the Abuja Airport in March 2011, outgone Police Affairs Minister Humphrey Abah said

“..that he had earlier commissioned a Bell 412 armoured helicopter and other scene of crime vehicles for the force in October last year(2010), the President added: “We are also expecting a delivery of additional Bell 412 and 429 helicopters and a Cessna Citation XLS for higher command and control and high level operational duties.”

The fact that we actually discussing the merits and armaments of the bell choppers the purpose now is no longer in the procurement but in the maintenance we don’t need to see another HIGH ranking AIG die in a helio crash.
Lastly affixing of TV cameras and thermal guidance systems should not be a problem that much BELL HELICOPTERS can do because it is non lethal.

What I am still looking for is the report on the unit which was commissioned in October 2010 alongside crime scene investigation vehicles. It had the details on specs. Perhaps there is a special CT variant. I am aware that the NYPD in America commissioned one of such not too long ago.

So I need to find the FEC or BPE document which stated that miniguns would be mounted on the said unit. I found that surprising at that time but with the ongoing CTCOIN operations, it does not seem so strange any longer

The role of these “HUEY” UH-1 bell helicopters in in suppressing vietcong activity in the mekong delta, is well documented in the annals of the vietnam war.

If available in sufficient numbers, and if armed with rockets and the minigun, the huey would be almost effective as the mi-24/35 “hinds” in keeping the riverine maze in the niger delta, free of bunkering and insurgent boats.

I can hardly argue with that. Zimbabwean Bell 412 helicopters appear to be the armed version and alongside Mi-24V/Mi-35P attack helicopters, they ensured much wider and effective battlefield coverage in the Congo. That would not have been possible given the number of MiL helicopters which got thrown into the fray.

A close replica of such a pairing would that between the F7 and BAe Hawk in the same theatre. The Hawk, like the A-Jet, is an advanced trainer. Same way the Bell 412, relative to the Mil attack helicopters, is a utility helo.

In urban areas, use of police ‘gunships’ would be disastrous. Don’t see the need for firing rockets from a police helicopter at close quarters,chasing armed robbers or whatnot. If the situation escalates beyond ‘reasonable’, then the military should be called in.

Another theatre where the Bell 412SP was used by the AFZ in combat operations was MOZAMBIQUE, circa 1982-92

Interesting excerpts

“All AFZ squadrons were in the process of training pilots and technicians when the Mozambican campaign started. A lot of young pilots had received training in China, North Korea, Romania, NIGERIA, Ethiopia, Greece, Libya and the former USSR.

Their methods of operation and the types of aircraft they had been trained on were so different that they all needed to be retrained on local aircraft and on local Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs). The AFZ contracted flying and technical instructors from Pakistan but, although they did their job well, they were not familiar with local SOPs and some Zimbabwean aircraft were not available in Pakistan. ”